Welcome Home
by BlackSunAndWhiteMoon
Summary: After 4 years away, Finn comes home and meets someone new.
1. Chapter 1

Finn Hudson gazed at the two story suburban house, and thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. It was nothing special to look at, there wasn't anything in particular that distinguished it from all the other houses lining the street, it wasn't even his childhood home. The one that held all the memories he had with his mother and maybe a few special ones he didn't remember with his birth father. This house was the one he moved into his sophomore year of high school, the one him and his mother had shared with Burt and Kurt.

But none of that mattered to him, the only thing he could think of, after being four years away from it, was "This is it, I'm finally home"

When he entered the house what he sawed shocked him. It was all the same! Everything, the furniture, the TV, the rugs. He should've known that not much would be different in four years, but he had expected his mom and Burt to have updated the TV and the appliances or at least moved the furniture around while he was away

After being gone for what felt like a lifetime, he was afraid he had built an image of home that was more fantasy than reality. Whenever another soldier in his unit asked him where he was from, no one knew where Lima was, so he just told them Ohio. The inevitable "lions, and tigers, and bears oh my!" jokes would come and he would be known as the Ohio guy. Finn didn't mind. He knew that joking around was just a way to relieve stress in the tense atmosphere they were in.

He kind of liked it actually. It was funny how he lived his whole life trying to get out of Lima Ohio, but when he did, it became the placed he longed for the most.

Even though his tours of duty required him to be gone for six months to a year, he never did come home between missions. It was selfish, he knew, to deprive his mother of seeing her only son. She was never crazy about him joining the military in the first place. If he just came home just to be called back to service multiple times, it would just kill her. There was also the small part of him that knew it would kill him to keep saying goodbye to her. But he knew that a long as she had Burt, she would be taken care of.

Then he got injured last year. He knew that was when he should've returned to Ohio, but he didn't. His mother probably would've gone into a coma if she saw him lying in a hospital bed, one of her worst fears coming true.

It was no big deal really he was still conscious, had all his limbs, and most important of all he was alive. Sure he couldn't walk right then and now he would need a cane to support him for the rest of his life, but after the things he's seen, he counted himself as one of the lucky ones.

So he chose a place for physical rehabilitation far away from Ohio, where his mother couldn't visit him. They told him it would be at least a year before he could walk again, but he was motivated. It took him only 7 months. Maybe the 1 year timeline was some kind of strategy by his therapist. It didn't matter; he was home and could walk for himself. He had wanted to surprise his mother with the present of being home 5 months early.

Speaking of which "Mom, It's me. I'm home." He shouted as he walked through the seemingly empty house.

He wandered into the kitchen and noticed a plate of cookies on the counter. He touched them. They still felt warm. Awesome! She wasn't known for her cooking, but it was still something homemade from his mother. Excited he went to the fridge to pour himself a glass of milk. Then he noticed a post-it note on the door.

"Going to pharmacy real quick, love you" it read. Hmm, that was weird. Did the people at the hospital call and to tell his mother he had left?

Before he could ponder the note any further, he was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Carole, we're here" Santana shouted from his living room.

Finn almost jumped at the voice. He remembered the last time he saw her. It was the night before he left. He sometimes thought of her when he reminisced about home, maybe a little more than his other friends. Even though they weren't particularly close and never shared much, well except losing his virginity to her and some weirdness for a bit during junior year that he still wasn't sure about.

When he stepped out of the kitchen to greet her, what he saw took his breath away. She was gorgeous. He always knew she was hot, but that was high school. She had matured since then, the way she was dressed her hair, which was much shorter, and the way she carried herself. He barely recognized her as the girl he knew in high school. Santana had become an adult. He wondered if she would think the same of him. He looked down at his uniform, of course he had.

"Carole, I'm sorry we're a bit early today but I got called in" Santana continued to yell up the stairs.

Who was we? Finn was confused. Then he spotted the little girl holding Santana's hand. He felt his stomach drop. Was that her kid? Was she married? Wait, why where they even here in the first place. Did his mom run a daycare from the house now? Were she and Burt in some sort of financial trouble?

Santana was standing there looking around at everything except for him, she hadn't seen him yet. Finn had no idea how to approach the pair.

"Mommy! Who's that?" the little girl questioned pointing her finger, when she spotted him across the house.

It was then that Santana saw him. Her eyes widened and she stopped dead in her tracks. They just stared at each other from across the house. Finn decided that he should be the one to break the stalemate. He determined the easiest thing would be to start by answering the little girl's question.

"Hello there. My name is Finn Hudson." He told her as he went down on his knees."What's your name?"

"My name is Isabella. Are you in a hero Mr. Hudson?" She asked, smiling up at him with dimpled cheeks.

He smiled backed and responded to her question "Well what makes you say that?"

"You are wearing a uniform with all those illustrious medals." She explained to him seriously

He almost laughed "Whoa, where did a little girl like you learn how to use such big words."

"Aunt Rachel said that just because I'm a baby shouldn't mean I can't learn how to speak properly. She's already won several competitions by my age." She told him matter-of-factly.

"That's nice princess" He replied. She started to giggle. It was cute. People always commented on his dimples as long as he could remember, he never understood what the big deal was. He had to admit though; no one could ever get sick of seeing this face. "What. What did I say?"

"You called me princess. That's what popi always calls me." She informed him.

From the few times he's met Santana's father," princess" was something he could never imagine him calling anybody. In fact, it sounded more like something Burt would say, but he put that thought away.

"Tell me princess. How old are you? He questioned slowly.

"I'm three and one half" She announced proudly holding up 3 fingers and half of a pinky finger.

Finn racked his brain to do the math, but there was no way. There was no way Santana would have. Would she? He looked up to see the girl's mother. The expression on her face made him feel like someone had knocked all the air out of his lungs.

He got to his feet and they resumed their earlier performance of staring at each other, waiting for the other one to make a move. This time Finn had no idea where to start.

All of a sudden, he felt a small pressure on his knee and two tiny arms wrapped around his leg. Isabella had kissed his knee and was currently hugging his right leg.

"Thanks princess. What was that for?"

"When I get a booboo mommy kisses it and I feel all better." She squeaked out, her face still buried in his knee. She looked up at him with a concern expression. "You were crying so you must be hurt."

Was he? He couldn't even remember the last time he cried, not even when he was injured. Finn brought his hand up to his face, and realized she was correct. He didn't even notice.

"Izzy sweetie, why don't you go up to your room so I can talk to this nice man." Santana had finally spoken.

He watched the little girl walk up the stairs, her shoes making the only sounds in the silent house. When he turned to face Santana, he knew she was staring at the room Isabella was in even though it was out of sight. If possible, without Isabella as a buffer, the atmosphere had become even more awkward. He heard the sound of car engine close by, and tore his gaze away from Santana. Through the window he saw his mother's car pulling into the driveway.

What Santana Lopez told him next, Finn Hudson would remember for the rest of his life.

"Welcome home Finn, try not to get my kid killed before your mom gets here." And she was gone. I mean it, she was outta there.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, calm down Santana. Just relax, everything is going to be fine. She assured herself_. *beeeeep*_ the obnoxious sound of the horn blared behind her again. And whatever you do, do **not **put this car in reverse and ram the idiot behind you. She told herself, as she picked her head up and gave the driver behind her a dirty look through the rearview mirror.

Seriously, what the hell was wrong with this guy couldn't he see spare one green light to give her time to deal. She saw the guy throw up his hands in exasperation and shove his them, as if to physically put his frustration on her. She turned her attention back to the traffic light, and saw that it had changed back to red. Good. It served him right, being so rude to her. She thought, exchanging one last raised brow with him through the mirror, and gently slammed her head back to its previous position, rested on the car horn.

Couldn't this guy read her mood at all? Hadn't he realized that maybe the person in front of him was going through a major life crisis and develop a little bit of patience? She ignored the fact that she would have done way worse than settling for a glare, if the situation had been reversed. But hey! So what if this random person's day was inconvenienced for a bit. She deserved to be acting a bit irrational today!

She had played that scenario a thousand times before in her mind. However, what had happened was nowhere near what she imagined. Who could've thought that after 4 years of anguishing over her decisions, everything would have fallen apart so quickly? It was all stupid Finn Hudson's fault! She had believed she had 5 more months to prepare! It wasn't like she didn't know this day was going to come, but when push came to shove, she just ran out like a child. She had resolved to act more like an adult a long time ago; she had a daughter to raise after all.

Her daughter. The image of Isabella quickly sobered her up and renewed her strength. Fuck! What was she thinking? Just leaving her with someone who was practically a stranger to her. She berated herself, forcefully clenching the steering wheel.

She contemplated turning the car around and going back to the house. Finn was and okay guy, but who knew what kind of damage he could do. She was very careful with who she exposed her daughter too. First impressions were important and well intentioned or not, Finn had a record of being careless when it came to delicate moments. After all, he was going to be a big part of her daughter's life for now on. Shouldn't she be there to make sure everything went smoothly?

As she wrestled with her indecision, she heard the car behind her sound its horn again. "Fine." She grumbled as she pulled her car forward and entered the employee parking lot of Lima General. She saw the other car as it quickly accelerated past hers and park directly in front of the rotating doors. The guy came out took a cooler from the backseat and rushed through the entrance of the hospital, but not without giving her one last glare. She read the text on the side of his vehicle. "Human Organ Transportation" Crap, he actually did have a good reason to give her attitude.

She started feeling guilty as she thought about it. Well that was one person who had more to worry about, than their baby daddy showing up out of the blue. Hell, even she had gone through much worse. She was a single mother for god sake! She was stronger than this, she had to be.

Her resolved strengthened as she got out of the car. Carole was with them, she completely trusted her to keep Finn from doing something stupid. And Isabella? It would be better if she just went about her day normally and become more comfortable with having Finn around, before they took a relationship with her biological father any further.

* * *

><p>Finn hesitated with his hand over the doorknob of his old room. Or should he say Isabella's room now.<p>

He had heard the gist of it from his mother downstairs, with assurance that Santana should be given a chance for the full explanation. However, throughout her brief details, all he could think about was the life he had no idea existed until an hour ago, which was currently upstairs.

As soon as she was done, he asked if he could go see Isabella. In response, his mother just puckered her lips and gave him a calculated look.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea now honey…..maybe you should wait until Santana gets off work." She told him shaking her head.

This was definitely not the homecoming he expected. He had expected his mother to be overjoyed with having him home, getting pushed into a seat with food thrust before him, and being doted upon while eating, and tears lots of tears. All he could see in his mother's face was concern for the little girl's well being. She must really love the kid, his kid. He realized.

So after lots of begging and promises of following the rules she laid out, she relented and allowed him to go upstairs to meet Isabella under her supervision. But not before coming over and giving him the tearful hug he knew she was dying to give him.

Even though Finn was so intent on seeing Isabella before, he couldn't quell the fear that was beginning to build up inside of him. None of his training had prepared him for something like this. He had walked into many times more dangerous situations than what was on the other side of this door before. Why was he so nervous now? Sensing his apprehension, his mother gave his hand a tight squeeze and nodded for him to enter the room. As pathetic as it sounded, he was glad that he had his mother with him.

As he entered the room, he faintly noticed that unlike the downstairs his room had gone through some changes. It looked like all of his stuff here, but little things were added here and there. However, most of his attention was consumed with the mini-Santana lying on his bed. As he got closer, he couldn't help think of how befitting his earlier nickname for her was. She really did look like a princess. Both of her hands were clasped on her chest and her hair looked liked it had been meticulously fanned out on either side.

Of all the times to choose to fall asleep kid. He wondered. She wasn't even sleeping under the covers. When he looked to his mother for an explanation, all he saw was his mother studying the little girl with nothing but adoration on her face.

"She's playing Disney princess." She whispered to him when she saw his confused expression. As if that explained anything. "You know, Sleeping Beauty" She continued.

"Ummm, is that the one with the talking lobsters?' He asked

"Nooooo!" Isabella's sudden outburst startled him. He looked down at the 3 year old's comically scandalized face. "That's The Little Mermaid!" She told him deeply offended

"Oh….sorry, I don't think I've seen that one before" He tried defending himself. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. He could see Isabella's opinion of him brought down a few pegs from the admission.

But come on, give him some credit. He wasn't lying before when he said nothing had ever prepared him for something like this. He wasn't even sure that 3 year olds could talk before this morning, let alone understand what happened in movies.

He heard his mother's laughter as she went to sit by a chair near the window. Without a word she held out her arms and the little girl crawled onto her lap and pulled his mother's arm around her. It looked like the most natural thing in the world.

So why couldn't he have that? He was the girl's father after all. Shouldn't there be like an instant bond or something between them. She wasn't just Santana's kid, there had to be some part of him in her too.

"It takes more than blood to be someone dad Finn." She explained to him sadly, reading his mind. "But don't worry; I know you have it in you. You'll get there eventually, just have take it slow." She finished, giving him a smile.

Throughout the exchange, he could see Isabella looking between them with a confused expression. His mother must've known the little girl wouldn't have been able to understand them in the first place, or else she wouldn't have said anything.

"Hey Izzy! I have an Idea! Why don't we show Finn The Little Mermaid? "She offered the little girl in a perky voice. "Santana doesn't really like to let her watch TV so early in the morning, but I think its okay for today." She told him.

He could see Isabella visibly brighten at the promised treat. She quickly went up to him and pulled his hand. "Let's go Finn"

He tried not to let it show, but the use of his first name did sting a little bit. "Remember, just take it slow" his mother mouthed to him as she passed by.

* * *

><p>Santana carefully opened the door, ready for almost anything to greet her. What she saw was her daughter lying as straight as possible on a bed, and Finn Hudson lying on the floor doing a poor imitation of the figure next to him<p>

The Disney princess game huh, she realized. As she got closer to the pair she noticed that they were both asleep. Standing over her daughter, she was struck with the thought of how she really did look like a princess. While Finn? He just looked like he was dead.

Probably dead tired from trying to keep up with a 3 year old all day. She gathered with some satisfaction. "And you considered basic training hard, huh soldier boy." she muttered looking down at him.

She was pretty tired too. So she crawled into bed next to her daughter and hugged her closer to her body. She closed her eyes, and a wave of nostalgia hit her. That's right, it was just like this. Even though it had been one of the hardest times in her life, she missed it a bit.

Back then it was just her, Isabella, and this room. She loved Carole, she really did. Who knows where she would be without her help? But the time she spent holding Isabella in this bed, were some of the happiest moments of her life. She couldn't really explain it. It was as if time stood still and she could forget about all her worries and fears and they were just mother and daughter in that instant. Inevitably, Carole would open the door and she would bring the reality of her situation back.

As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't' help but observe how Finn's presence in the room felt completely natural and did not intrude on any of her memories.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well this chapter was supposed to be a flashback of the night before Finn left, but the revelation about Finn's dad in 3x10 kind of killed a major point. So while I rewrite that, here's this instead ;). Also, I am absolutely astonished at the number of reviews this story got with only two short chapters. Thank you all!**

The first thing Finn noticed when he woke up was a pair of innocent brown eyes looking down on him. An unfamiliar but pleasant sensation started to swell up within him at the sight of his daughter.

She was all his.

Well not really. Technically Isabella was mostly Santana's child. His mother was right. It took more than sharing blood to be someone's dad, and sure Santana dedicating the last 4 years of her life to said child did give her a bit of an edge. But still, he couldn't help the feeling of pride he got from knowing that he had helped make something so beautiful.

The second thing he noticed was how uncharacteristically still the owner of those eyes was being. In fact, Isabella was just sitting with her legs cross at the edge of the bed, studying him with an expression far too serious for a 3 year old.

If he wasn't sure what a 3 year old was capable of yesterday. He sure did now. At first things were a bit awkward between them. Well what did he expect; he had nothing in common with a 3 year old. However, Isabella saw fit to educate him in what she deemed important, mainly the female Disney characters, all of them.

If relearning movies he hadn't seen since he was a little kid wasn't hard enough, he also had to memorize enough information in order to act out different scenarios. As it turned out, the princess game required more than just laying there and looking pretty. Luckily for him, because of his larger than average size, Isabella had relegated him the role of bad guy/monster.

It was pretty easy, a lot of growling and sneering. Although, it did require a shocking number of gruesome deaths to be performed on his part. Where these movies really meant to be for children?

Isabella was absolutely delighted though. His mother had told him, that it had more to do with the fact that she was a child and he was a full grown adult who was following her every command. Which was apparently the opposite of what a 3 and a half year old was used to, and she was having a mini power trip.

But he couldn't help himself. He thought, as Isabella used him as a human trampoline screaming "Take that Shan Yu!" It was a way in, and he was going to take it. He had 3 years of missed time to make up for after all.

However, he never imagined that Isabella would somehow find a way to squeeze 3 years of playtime into a single day. She was relentless, finding something else for them to do as soon as one activity was finished. The only reason she had stopped was because Finn had suggested they play Sleeping Beauty and she had fallen asleep in the process. Maybe before he wouldn't have felt so proud, having outwitted a 3 year old, but now that was a major accomplishment. Putting their daughters to bed, it was what fathers did.

So why was she so calm now? Shouldn't she be demanding that he give back the magic lamp, or something?

He sat up and immediately felt his back ache. Damn. Maybe he should've seen his fatherly duties through and waited until Isabella had fallen asleep first, before passing out on the floor of his old room. As he stretched, he saw Isabella bring a tiny finger to her lips and shushing him with what was supposed to be an intimidating glare he gathered.

When it only caused him to start chuckling, the girl silently started opening and closing her mouth giving him a furious expression. Okay, that was weird, was this new game? He thought in confusion.

Then he realized what she was trying to do. Mouth something to him. Only, no one had taught her that you had to actually form word with your mouth, not open and close them like a fish.

Grinning, he tried to find what was getting the little girl so worked up. His expression immediately sobered up when he spotted the source.

Santana sleeping on his bed, looking as comfortable as if it were her own. She really was gorgeous, he thought again for the second time.

Even though he had judged her an adult just yesterday, he could still see the traces of the girl he knew in high school. Maybe he should stop staring. She'd probably kick his ass if she caught him.

He looked at Isabella, still silent, trying her best not disturb her mother. Lucky kid, he thought. You inherited your mother's looks. Maybe she'd get his height too. She'd probably grow up to become a model or something. His eyes narrowed and a wave of possessiveness hit him at that thought. Looks like Santana wouldn't be the only one kicking peoples asses.

He knew that they didn't live here, at least not anymore. That much his mother had told him, but he was glad that she was comfortable enough to sleep in his bed. Never would he have imagined that Santana Lopez would consider the Hummel-Hudson Household a second home. He really had missed a lot.

"Alright princess, what are ya having?" Finn asked poking his head from the fridge in the kitchen, addressing his daughter sitting at the breakfast table.

"Pancakes!" The little girl demanded, pumping her small fist in the air.

Damn. He should've expected something like. Only, the last time he had attempted to make pancakes, they turned out burnt on the outside but somehow still managed to be liquid on the inside. However, determination coursed through him as he looked at the little girl's eager face. He was going to make the fluffiest pancakes possible, even if it killed him.

'Okay, and what will the princess be drinking this morning? Milk?"

Maybe he should really stop calling her princess. His mother did say she would become spoiled if he kept doing so, but calling her Isabella was way too formal for his taste. He had heard his mother and Santana call her Izzy, but that was a bit intimate and he was supposed to be taking things slow.

"Coco-cola, please." The little girl this time politely requested, giving him a look far too innocent to be believed.

"Hmmm, is that right?" Finn feigned consideration. Even though he knew that there was no way Coke was an acceptable drink for breakfast, especially for a 3 and a half year old.

"Yep." She confirmed, smiling up at him with dimpled cheeks.

Wow she was cute. Really, she was probably the cutest kid he'd ever seen. His mother just laughed when he told her. She said that most parents thought their children were special, but she was wrong. Isabella was special and definitely the cutest.

His resolve started to weaken a bit at the little girl's expectant face. Well maybe this one time wouldn't be so bad. What could it hurt? He thought taking a small can of coke out of the back of the fridge.

"Finn, what do you think you're doing mister? Put the soda away" His mother admonished walking into the kitchen in her bathrobe. "If you're hungry, then I'll make something. We don't want to set a bad example now, do we?"

"But...But it wasn't even for me." He tried to explain."Isabella wanted it." He pointed, selling out his daughter completely.

"That can't be right. Isabella is a good girl; she knows that we do not have Soda when it's breakfast time. Isn't that right?" She asked her granddaughter, patting her on the head.

"Yes MawMaw." The little girl responded looking down with a guilty expression.

"So why don't you just sit down" She guided him to a seat "And I'll make you two some pancakes." She finished.

Well at least Isabella would get what she wanted now, he tried to think. But you're not the one giving it to her, he thought with some shame.

As soon as he sat down, Isabella crawled into his lap and sat in much the same fashion as she did with his mother yesterday. It made him feel a lot better. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother freeze and look at them with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Is everything okay?" He asked her.

"No everything perfect." She told him with a smile after she had recovered.

All of a sudden, he heard Isabella scream from his lap. "What happened? Are you okay?" He asked, his heart suddenly racing. He checked the girl all over in alarm. He couldn't find anything at all!

"Spi-spider." Isabella said shakily "There's a spider." She pointed at the fruit bowl in the middle of the table.

Instant relief flooded him. "It's okay; it's not going to hurt you." He assured her. "Look. See?" He cupped the spider in between his hands. "It can't hurt you."

"No." the girl shook her head, still visibly scared. "Kill it." She pleaded.

"We don't have to." He tried telling her. "It's even more scared of us then we are of it." He explained. He walked over to an open window and gently laid the spider on a bush. "See." He showed Isabella his hands. "Doesn't hurt one bit."

"What if it comes back and gets me?" She asked him, with wide eyes.

"Izzy." He went over picked her up and looked her right in the eye." I may not be able to make pancakes as good as your MawMaw, but I promise you. Whether it's spiders or the sea witch Ursula, I'm going to be there, and I'm going to protect you. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and hugged his neck.

He saw the disapproving look his mother gave him. Maybe he shouldn't have made a promise that was so absolute, to a child. Realistically, he couldn't guarantee that he'd be there every single time a spider showed up. Never mind the fact that he hadn't even spoken to Santana about their situation yet, but it didn't mean that he wasn't going to try his hardest. He vowed.

* * *

><p>Walking down the stairs of the Hummel-Hudson house, Santana heard the familiar sounds of her daughter's high pitched laughter coming from the kitchen. Well at least things are going smoothly. She thought, stopping on the stairs and observing her daughter interact with her birth father.<p>

That was one hurdle out of the way. It would have been bad if they weren't friendly. Worse if she had completely shut down around him. But what did she expect? Isabella was her daughter. Meaning she was as confident and strong willed as her mother.

She heard her daughter giggling again. Finn was bouncing Isabella on his knees, and they looked to be having what seemed to be a very intense conversation. Well it was mostly the little girl gabbing and waving her arms around, while Finn nodded along with a serious expression on his face. They really did get along well, she concluded watching the pair.

Maybe a bit too well. Was it a good thing that her daughter was so attached to someone she had only met for the first time yesterday? She didn't want to be one of those mothers who constantly coddled their children from the world, but that didn't mean she didn't want to protect her daughter from getting hurt. No arrangements had been decided between her and Finn at all.

That's right; she would have to share Isabella from now on. Sure Carole and Burt had been around, but it was Santana that had sole claim on Isabella. Did she really want to give some of it up to Finn Hudson? Would he fight her if she tried denying him?

Judging by the way he was currently beaming at Isabella, she concluded yes. He definitely wouldn't go away without a battle. Finn had already fallen completely in love with the little girl, that much was obvious.

Ugh. What was she doing? She hadn't even spoken to him yet. Why was she already beginning to put her guard up? This wasn't high school. She didn't need to make things more complicated than they already were.

She felt her phone vibrate and heard a ringtone indicating she got a text. Pulling out her phone, she stared at the name of the person who had texted her. Well talk about making things complicated. She didn't even want to think about his part of the equation yet.

"Whoa, coming thru." She heard Burt Hummel announced behind her jogging down the stairs.

"Good morning Burt." She greeted

"Mornin Santana." He replied clasping a hand on her shoulder and giving her a warm smile. "So….Finn is back huh?"

"Yeah." She muttered, both of their gazes focused on the kitchen table.

"Looks like him and the little princess are getting along fine too." He noted Isabella's laughter. "It's almost like they're father and daughter." He joked, giving Santana another smile.

She felt an unwanted pang of jealousy hit her as she continued to watch them. She dedicated the last 4 years of her life to that little girl, how could he just walk in and suddenly become Isabella's new favorite person apparently.

Burt must've sensed her mood. "Hey, hey Santana. Now look at me." He commanded waving a finger in her face. "You may be the mommy who has to set rules and boundaries for her and Finn may be the new toy in town. We all know that when a something new comes along, most children may seem to prefer the new thing, but that's exactly what he is, new. You're her mother. She'll always love you the most, no matter what." He assured her.

"Thank you, Burt." She truly meant, giving him a hug.

"No problem." He replied returning the hug. "Besides Finn's a good guy, it'll be fine" He informed her pulling away."And you two will always have me and Carole if you need us."

She already knew that, but it was still nice to hear. For as soon as she walked into that kitchen, her's and Isabella's lives were never going to be the same. But at least Burt and Carole weren't going to change.

"Then Finn smashed the foul creature!" Isabella exclaimed, slapping a tiny hand on the kitchen table. "And we proudly marched into the sunset, magnificent in victory. Our laughter echoing for all enemies remaining alive to hear." Recounting the earlier incident with the spider.

"Really?" Santana said impressed, raising her eyebrows at the pair from across the table.

'Yes mommy. Really." The little girl confirmed, furiously shaking her head up and down. Looking like she believed every single word she just said.

"Well as long as you didn't get hurt. It's a good thing that mommy's a nurse." She asserted, pretending to check the toddler all over for injuries.

"Then Finn said that he would take care of all the spiders from now on." Isabella said, looking up at him with adoration. "Aren't we lucky? You don't have to be scared of them anymore mommy."

"Really? Spiders huh?" Finn questioned her, looking like he was having far too much fun with the information for her liking.

"I can handle spiders just fine." She replied curtly, annoyed with his smug smile.

"Really? Because I seem to remember a senior prank gone wrong in Mr. Schue's choir room, and the loudest shriek of all, being followed by an "I'm going to go Lima Heights on all of you.""

"I think your memory is addled Hudson, because that was most definitely not me." She challenged

"I think it was." He continued to jibe, smiling at her

"No, it wasn't' she grinded out. Was he being an ass on purpose?

"Was"

"Wasn't"

"Yes it was mommy" Isabella suddenly piped from Finn's lap.

"See. Even Izzy agrees with me." Finn smiled, ruffling the little girl's hair.

Santana's mouth hung open in shock. That little traitor! Who's the one that's been raising her all these years?

"Well, as sad as I am to interrupt such an adult conversation." Carole suddenly interjected. "I think I have to get Isabella ready for the day." She informed them coming over and taking the little girl from Finn. "And while I'm gone, I expect you two to behave."

Then they were both gone, finally leaving Santana and Finn alone. Damn, it was just like yesterday. They were just silently staring at each other. Were things always become this awkward between them, when they were alone? There had to be a way to break the ice.

But she already knew the answer. She had been dreading it all day yesterday. It was all up to her. She was the one that had all the explaining to do. Finn was pretty much kept in the dark in everything.

She felt her phone vibrate and a bit of relief came to her, anything to stall the conversation a bit more. She quickly took out her phone and looked at the name. James. Crap. He was texting to see why she hadn't responded to his earlier text yet. She hastily texted back that she was busy and put her phone away.

"Who's James?" Finn quietly asked her. At the fierce look she flashed him, he quickly put both is hands up in defense. "Hey don't look at me. Blame the good people at Apple who've made such a vibrant screen."

She relaxed a bit. "James he's…..a lawyer for the hospital I work at."

"Oh. Cool." Finn responded with an extremely neutral face.

"Also, we've gone out a few times." She admitted. "I mean, it's nothing too serious. It's not like we're exclusive or anything." Although its getting there, she added silently.

"Hey, it's none of my business. Forget I asked." Finn responded, still in a neutral tone.

"No it's okay. James is a good guy. Isabella loves him." She almost missed it, but she saw Finn physically flinch just a little at that. Santana sighed. "Look, Finn. Let's not beat around the bush. The sooner we can get past this; the sooner things will go back to normal. It's what's best for Isabella. Deal."

"Deal." Finn confirmed, nodding his head, a bit of life returning to him.

"So, anything else you want to know?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"Yea. I know you and Isabella used to live here, but not anymore. Right?" He questioned.

Well that was an easy one."Yea, we moved out almost 2 years ago." She informed him. "We live in a townhouse about 15 minutes from here."

"Oh. I just know that it's probably hard on a single mother financially. Burt and Carole would have probably let you stayed here as long as you wanted."

"I know" she agreed. "It's just that I wanted to do things independently. Yea this house is a lot nicer and all the windows lock, and it's much bigger. But I didn't just want to scab of your parents forever."

"Your windows don't lock?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Santana rolled her eyes. Of coursed that was the one thing he focused on. "Relax. I've lived there for like 2 years and we've only been burglarized like three times." She joked, waving off his concern.

He frowned at her. "That's not funny, Santana. Why don't your windows lock?"

"I said it was only some of the windows. It's not a big deal, really." She reminded him. "But since you seem to care so much, how about I let be mister manly man and you can fix them." She humored, as if she were talking to her 3 year old.

"I'll fix them all right" He muttered "Gonna be brand spanking new when I get done with them."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Finn's crutch leaning against the wall. She tried to look away, but Finn caught her. She could see a bit of red tinge his cheeks.

"Um. You don't really have to. I could probably get someone." She awkwardly tried to tell him.

"It's fixing a window, not running a marathon. I could do it." He pouted at her.

Santana couldn't help but smile. The pout reminded her so much of Isabella. "Really?" She jibbed tilting her head, still smiling at him.

"Yeah. Really." He countered tilting his own head to match hers. "And you were definitely the one that screamed the loudest when those spiders got out." He taunted her, smiling.

They both bursted out laughing, and Santana felt just for a minute, that they were both 17 years old again.


End file.
